The next Infiniti concept car will show how the sedan can evolve

Infiniti's swoopy new concept sets the Mercedes CLS as its target

Japan’s luxury brands are going all out at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. Lexus will unveil a mysterious concept, Acura will give us an accurate preview of the next-generation RDX, and Infiniti has just announced it will show a brand-new design study.

Nissan’s luxury arm is keeping full details about the concept under wraps for the time being. We know it’s called Q Inspiration, and the brand promises the star of its exhibit at the upcoming Detroit show will preview its next design language.

“As a new wave of technologies begins to take shape, our Detroit concept car heralds a new generation of Infiniti. A seamless and stunning new design philosophy demonstrating Infiniti artistry in the new age of autonomy and breakthrough drivetrains,” noted Alfonso Albaisa, the brand’s senior vice president of global design. “Infiniti aims to showcase a new elegance, one that strikes harmony and simplicity in a complex world,” he added.

Up front, the futuristic-looking Q Inspiration remains recognizable as a member of the Infiniti lineup. It boasts a sculpted hood, swept-back headlights, and a grille that’s almost entirely filled in, making it more of a piece of trim than a cooling apparatus. From the back, it looks like a big sedan with a fastback-like roof line in the vein of the Audi A7 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS. If built, it could sit at the very top of the Infiniti line.

There’s a good reason for the filled-in grille. Karim Habib, Infiniti’s executive design director, hinted the concept will be electric. “The new Infiniti concept car will take the traditional sedan architecture to its next stage of evolution. A shift toward smarter, more compact, and less intrusive powertrains; we were able to create an alternative form with flowing gestures” he said. “Compact” is the key word here. We doubt Infiniti’s next concept uses a snowblower engine, so odds are engineers reduced the size of the powertrain by going entirely electric.

Stay tuned, we’ll learn more details about Infiniti’s mysterious concept in the coming weeks. Keep your browser locked to Digital Trends for live images of the newest Infiniti and the rest of the action from the 2018 Detroit Auto Show starting on January 15.

Updated by Ronan Glon: Added the latest image of the Q Inspiration concept, more details.

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